Ilia Topuria’s return date is still yet to be determined, but if he fights Justin Gaethje as expected, it could be an easy night at the office for “El Matador.”
That’s how the opening odds have been laid
out for the potential lightweight championship unification bout, which moved one step closer to becoming a reality following Gaethje defeating Paddy Pimblett for an interim title this past Saturday at UFC 324.
Topuria, the reigning undisputed champion at 155 pounds, is currently -600 or a 6-to-1 favorite to beat Gaethje according to Betonline.ag. On the other side, Gaethje is the +400 or 4-to-1 underdog.
A $100 bet on Topuria would net a return of $116.67 with a win — just $16.67 in profits — while the same wager on Gaethje would net a return of $500 if successful.
The bout has not been made official, though UFC CEO Dana White has previously stated the winner of the UFC 324 main event was expected to fight Topuria at a later date. Topuria is currently on hiatus from competition due to personal matters, with the fighter hinting he could be ready to compete by April or June.
In his most recent outing at UFC 317 this past June, Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight championship. The undefeated fighter previously reigned as featherweight champion having knocked out Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski prior to changing divisions.
Gaethje won a unanimous decision over Paddy Pimblett in Saturday’s headliner after five entertaining rounds of action. With the win, the 37-year-old became the first UFC fighter ever to claim two interim titles and he has now won four of his past five fights.
